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Topic: Ativan daily? (Read 544 times)

I had a rather bad experience with zoloft. I was prescribed it for social anxiety. Dr. gave me 25mg a day. I started taking it and it brought all these horrible side effects out in me within the first few days. I was having paranoia, panic and anxiety attacks. all things I never experienced. So the DR. stopped the meds. Thing is I feel the damage is done. Now that I know what an anxiety/panic attack feels like it is all I think about and I am bringing them on myself. zoloft triggered them and now I am bringing them on by worrying about getting one again. My Dr. prescribed me 0.5 mg of Ativan to calm me down. 3 times a day for 2 days. then 2 times a day for 2 days. And then after that 1 ativan a day as needed. I have been taking it and it is helping me soooo much. But I also heard you shouldn't stay on this type of drug because it is highly addicting. But it is the only thing that is helping me. I am terrified to start another SSRI in fear that I will get bad start up effects again. Is there any other drug out there that is safe to take daily and not addicting like ativan? My Dr. actually said something about Buspar. I don't know much about that one. Or is it okay for me to be taking 0.5 mg of ativan daily? It really is helping with no bad side effects and this is why I like it. Even my Mother told me to take an ativan every morning for a week and see how I feel. opinions?

But I also heard you shouldn't stay on this type of drug because it is highly addicting.

Not true on both counts. People have taken benzodiazepines (BZDs) for decades without having to increase the dose. Indeed, most take less over time. But while they are not addicting, if you take them daily for more than a month or two you will probably become physically dependent on them and need to slowly wean off over some weeks or months if you need to stop taking them. This is also true of antidepressants. HOWEVER, BZDs are not good primary, taken daily, anti anxiety meds because doctor are becoming increasingly wary about prescribing them which means you cannot be certain you will get a prescription in the future. So they are best used only occasionally for breakthrough anxiety. Long term, antidepressants are a better bet.

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I am terrified to start another SSRI in fear that I will get bad start up effects again.

A couple of possibilities. You could try another SSRI, I suggest Celexa (citalopram) which is usually the best tolerated SSRI, starting on a very low dose and taking Ativan, or another BZD to nullify any additional anxiety the Celexa might produce. Celexa comes in a liquid form which would enable you to start on as little as 1mg.

Alternatively, you could try one of the older tricyclic class antidepressants (TCAs) such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep), or imipramine (Tofranil). They are much less likely to produce severe initial side-effects, plus they come in small dose tablets relative to their therapeutic dose so you can start out on a very low dose. The minimum therapeutic dose for these two TCAs is 75mg, but you could start on half a 10mg tablet, which is 1/15th of the minimum effective dose. By comparison, the 25mg Zoloft dose was half the minimum effective dose. The trade off is that TCAs tend to have more ongoing side-effects such as dry-mouth and constipation.

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My Dr. actually said something about Buspar.

Buspar (buspirone) is a unique drug, neither antidepressant or BZD that can be effective for GAD, and sometimes social anxiety. The problem is that it only works for a few with most finding it no more effective than M&Ms. However, it has few if any side-effects so is worth a shot.

You should also consider therapy if your medical insurance covers it. The cognitive and/or behavioural and/or mindfulness therapies can be at least as effective as meds.

NOTE: I'm not a doctor, and particularly not yours, so there may be factors I'm unaware of. Therefore all advice is of a general nature and you should consult your doctor before following any of it, especially before changing med doses.

I am making an appt today. I can't keep feeling like this. As much as I love ativan I do need to keep taking it. I am going to talk about the Celexa because it worked well for both my Mom and Sister. Also I want to ask about Buspar. I need something. something that makes me feel like Ativan does but something I can take all the time for awhile.

I am going to talk about the Celexa because it worked well for both my Mom and Sister.

I suggest you start on no more than half a 10mg tablet, increasing the dose by the same amount every 7-10 days until you get to 20mg/day. You will need to get the okay from your doctor on this.

Antidepressants are not quick acting meds like Ativan. They work by encouraging the growth of new brain cells which takes time. So the Celexa may take 3-12 weeks to fully kick-in.

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My Doctor recommended buspar. But both my Mom and Sister were both on Celexa for a little while and no ill side effects. I'm wondering what would be best for me?

IMHO, Celexa is the better bet as it is more likely to work. But you could try the Buspar for a week to see how it goes. If there isn't a worthwhile response within a week then there probably won't ever be.

NOTE: I'm not a doctor, and particularly not yours, so there may be factors I'm unaware of. Therefore all advice is of a general nature and you should consult your doctor before following any of it, especially before changing med doses.

I was prescribed that Buspar. I took one a little while ago. And I have to take one tonight. So basically have to take it twice a day everyday. I will update with the results. Fingers crossed that this is all I need. I am so tired of this.

Today is day 3 of buspar. I haven't taken any Ativan in 2 days. The buspar seems to be working in that I am handling my anxiety better. I am still getting anxiety. I still am having issues eating. and I am still waking up anxious with diahhreah. Giving the buspar another 2 weeks. If I don't start to feel amazingly better I am thinking a small dose of celexa is my next bet.

honestly, there is nothing wrong with taking a benzo daily. i would say taking klonopin daily saved my LIFE, and i let every doctor know that because i know some of them are so fucking picky with benzos and try to make them out as devil drugs and throw buspar and vistaril at you. HA, thankfully my psychiatrist isn't a little benzophobe. if you want to try buspar, go ahead, but every person i know that has tried it said it did absolutely nothing. a sugar pill. don't be scared to take a benzo daily if it means you getting your life back. also not only has klonopin saved me from my homebound agoraphobic life, but it has helped me get through a suicidal episode COUNTLESS times. i take klonopin twice a day, and my psychiatrist said its okay to take a third one if i feel suicidal. anyway off topic......go ahead and give buspar a try. but seriously don't be afraid of taking ativan or any benzo daily. it is really not that addictive, if at all. though some people may grow tolerance to the anti anxiety effects fast, though that hasn't been the case for me really. it is extremely laughable when any doctor tells me klonopin is addictive. the only addiction i have dealt with are cigarettes, and let me tell you if you are a smoker you will KNOW what addiction is. benzos aren't addictive, you just become dependent on them. but who cares, we all can't be hippies who put nothing man made in our body and live a happy life in the mountains eating garden grown fruits and vegetables.

ONE LAST THING: that feeling of complete relaxation and almost euphoria when taking a benzo does not last forever. you grow a tolerance to that fast. your irrational anxiety is just gone, and you feel normal.

Hey if this helps, I had a bad reaction like that too Zoloft probabbly worse than yours... Just accept that it was the medication that brought that on not you yourself and don't relate one to another. also, I just started taking elavil which is a TCA before bed and it actually sedates you at first ... I actually told my dr that I wouldn't take another ssri so we went with a TCA ... I started low at 25mg and the only side effects I have are a little dry mouth, and a good nights sleep. I hope this helps